Stanislaus Co. man posts suicide note on Facebook

Friday

Dec 28, 2012 at 11:40 AMDec 28, 2012 at 11:41 AM

HUGHSON, Calif. (AP) — A Central California man died after posting a suicide note on Facebook and then driving his car onto railroad tracks about an hour later, as friends and family frantically tried to get in touch with him.

HUGHSON, Calif. (AP) — A Central California man died after posting a suicide note on Facebook and then driving his car onto railroad tracks about an hour later, as friends and family frantically tried to get in touch with him.

Antjuan Miguel Colvin, 21, was struck by a train going about 75 mph in Hughson on Christmas night and pronounced dead at the scene, Stanislaus County sheriff's Sgt. Anthony Bejaran told the Modesto Bee.

His death has shocked family and friends, who responded with concern and alarm when they saw the posting on Colvin's Facebook page. In it, the Waterford resident thanked family and friends for the impact they had on his life, but said he could no longer take living.

"I called his phone like 100 times," said Olivia Johnson, 22, who has known Colvin since she was a little girl. "I called his sister, messaged his girlfriend, called them to (find out) if they knew what was going on. I don't understand why he would do this."

Some people who saw the post wondered whether Colvin was joking.

"It's horrible for the conductor and horrible for the family, who will always have to remember Christmas Day as a day they lost a family member," Bejaran said. "I can't imagine that."

Colvin's car was parked in a lighted railroad crossing when it was hit by a train headed from Bakersfield to Sacramento, Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said.

Three of the 98 passengers on board suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene, according to the sheriff's department.

Colvin, who had worked for the past few months at a sporting goods store, was always smiling and knew how to make people laugh, Johnson said.

But Savanna Callahan, 24, his former girlfriend, said his smile hid doubt and depression, something Colvin himself referred to in a quote he posted next to a photo on his Facebook page in November.

"I hide all of my problems behind my smile," the quote read. "Behind my smile is a world of pain. You think you know me, but you have no idea."